Snowy560

Hi

it's a rainy Saturday night here in my part of BC and I wondered what other BE members miss most from the UK or wherever you came from. Some of my top things are:

- good selection/reasonably priced ready made sandwiches (of the Tesco or M&S variety)

- mail order shopping. OK you can do it here, but .... there's not the same choice

- chocolate. Is it me or do identical brands (like aero, cadburys etc) taste completely (Yuk!) different here? crisps (sorry chips) can stay off this list because I finally found a few Canadian ones I like. These ones (black packets) have just found their way into local stores and I like them (husband says they've been here a while but I hadn't noticed them before the last few weeks):

Chips Archive - Hardbite Chips

What I enjoy more is buying coffees/teas, choice of takeaways which are better and cheaper than the UK (I think).

There are probably other things I like otherwise I wouldn't still be here!!

I'm interested to know what others like/miss.

S

Stinkypup

M & S ready meals- Snoop particularly misses the Coquilles St Jaques
Quavers and Wotsits
Pubs
A decent pint of bitter
Bluebell woods
Seaside harbours- Eg Port Isaac, Crail
British humour
99 ice cream (Snoop's choice)
Proper Amazon prime- order by 4pm get by 9am the next day
Bonfire night
John Lewis (Snoop)
Tesco delivery of your shopping to your door
...good for starters

Snowy560

Yes husband agrees with decent pint of bitter (and choice) plus Wotsits.
I'm a tea drinker and we usually bring a load back just for the difference.

I do miss ready meals as well but was too embarrassed to admit it. I usually got mine from Tescos though although M&S for a treat.

S

BritB

Chippy chips
Definitely online grocery shopping and generally our supermarkets. Totally agree with supermarket sandwiches! And our fillings. (I know ploughmans/pickle is not for everyone but I miss it!)
Everything M&S
Oh and being able to access Tescos or M&S while buying petrol!
British banter - never realised how many times I'd refer to Brit-culture things as a joke - but it makes no sense here. The other day I said 'that's me the only Brit in the village' and someone explained how I don't live in a village lol - possibly slightly offended. And then there was no one to turn to laugh with about that... to be fair not everyone in the U.K. would get that.
Corner shops
Pubs - the types that are your living room away from home. Just the casualness comfyness of your local.
Seeing really old things lol buildings and household things.
Car boot sales and markets.
Christmas markets (moving from London to Birmingham Alabama is quite a change in the scale of things)
Guy Fawkes - bonfire night.
Pies (savoury ones), quavers and of course bacon/getting a full English anywhere.
The tube and never thought I'd say this but buses! Lol. That's probably because I'm not in a big city though.
Our commercials (weird one I know!) and quirky TV documentaries.

Sorry that list just grew. This was a great therapeutic excercise. Thanks for starting!

Don't get me wrong - love it here just settling in and having the newbie home sickness.

bats

Schweppes diet tonic water
Black pudding
John Lewis
The seaside
Old buildings.

The rest of my yearnings are really because we live in small town Ontario.
Easy access to art galleries and museums
Decent restaurants especially Indian.
Year round markets selling all sorts at a decent price
Corner shops
Street fruit and veg stalls

withabix

Chips.
Sausages. Cumberland ones.
Edible Wensleydale. Considering that it all comes from Hawes, what the hell do they do to the stuff that they sell here???
Pies
Worsits,Quavers, Cheese & Onion Walkers.
Buying boose in the supermarket, and at sensible prices.
Proper online shopping.
Amazon Prime that actually gets delivered when it is supposed to.
Irn Bru

Have a source of proper dry cured unsmoked back bacon, so that's off the list.
Being able to get a sandwich/pasty/chips and gravy for lunch.

Markets that don't charge you $20 to get in...

People who can drive.

Roundabouts.

Dorothy

I miss cold and snow for Christmas. And I miss the leaves changing colour in fall. I miss not being a foreigner in the place I live. I miss my family. Mostly I miss my home.

scrubbedexpat091

Sunny winters.

Mexican food.

Close proximity to many museums and a world class zoo.

Jack in the Box.

Family. Friends.

Target

BristolUK

Cheap European trips, be they summer sun (beginning and end season to avoid severe heat) winter sun, city break or tour - No alternative here.

British 'Chinese' take-away curry which is nothing like the Canadian kind - Thai is acceptable.

Prepared meals that just need cooking (or even microwaving) like Duck Breasts in plum sauce, Moussaka, Paella, Chicken and Bacon Pasta, Salmon/Bacon Linguini - Pizza Bites, Lasagne and such variations are really not good alternatives.

Reasonably priced wine. Don't care where I get it, just don't make me pay $20 before I can get something drinkable.

And, of course, almost snow free winters.

Former Lancastrian

The efficiency of workers in construction sites of the motorway system in the UK.
Rarely are there any construction sites on the M1, 6 or other delaying your travel.

The cheery disposition of young children who live on Council estates who will gladly look after your car for a fiver.

The ability of people to form impromptu choirs in most major town centres at kicking out time.

How council workers will volunteer their time on weekend evenings to ensure that garbage cans are not overflowing with fish and chip and kebab wrappers.

Travelling to a football match as an away supporter and receiving a very friendly welcome from the locals and police. They want to ensure we don't get lost by herding us all together and escorting us to the ground and then back to the train/coaches without the need to explore the town centre and perhaps buy some local wares.

Hoping that the cheap weekend flight to wherever is not diverted because the stag party also on board have become a little boisterous however still treating the airline staff with grace and dignity.

Partially discharged

Perfect summation of the lower level scrote behaviour that is too common in the UK these days.

macadian

To be simplistic, the ten minute drive from my home to the Campsie Hills, a further twenty minutes or so into the heart of the Trossachs. Hikes in the hills there, pub lunch and a pint of ale. But have lots of memories.

magnumpi

Paragliding from off of Parlick Hill, in Bowland

Riding a 600cc + M/C round the back lanes or weeton and The fylde area at great speed

GC44

Decent curry
Car boot sales
British humour especially sarcasm
Choice of vehicle insurance
Cheap holidays abroad
Historic buildings (used to work in York Minster)
Pubs (decent pint)
Roads with bends in them
M&S food (especially Dine in for 2)
Supermarket wars
Sausage & Egg sarnie and a mug of tea at a roadside cafe/caravan
Buying booze at a supermarket
Yorkshire Dales
The seaside (Whitby, Filey etc)

Guess that will do for now....

leith

Long springtimes with primroses and pussy willows
Not having to have a car
The glens of Angus
People who actually speak English
Mealy puddings
Forfar bridies
Houses built to last
My family
Hogmanay
Home-made ginger wine
The music of my country